In late July, the Senate Appropriations Committee released the fiscal year 2015 Chairman?s recommendation and explanatory statement for the Department of the Interior, Environment and Related Agencies Appropriations bill.

California voters this November will decide whether to approve the sale of $7.5 billion in bonds to fund water projects in the drought-afflicted state, after the Legislature last month passed and Gov. Jerry Brown (D) signed a spending package now headed to the ballot.

The Water Council and JPMorgan Chase & Co., have entered into a partnership to bring together North America?s investment community and water technology entrepreneurs to match capital with water innovation.The partnership includes a $225,000 grant from JPMorgan Chase as part of the company?s recently launched Small Business Forward initiative ? a national, five-year, $30 million grant program meant to boost small business support networks that help growing enterprises in specific industries.

Thomas W. Smith III, M.ASCE, CAE, was selected as the next executive director of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), effective Jan. 1, 2015. The decision was made at an Aug. 24 meeting of the ASCE Board of Direction in Denver.

In July, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced that $2 million in conservation funds will be sent to Ohio to help implement conservation techniques that will help improve water quality. The Secretary said USDA is also partnering with the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) to expand ?boots-on-the-ground? capacity in the area and will be contributing an additional $1 million in technical assistance which will in turn be leveraged by the NFWF along with other public and private entities.

Dutch consulting giant ARCADIS NV has prevailed in its two-month quest to acquire U.K.-based Hyder Consulting PLC. The announcement follows ARCADIS’ move earlier this month to increase its offer by about $12 per share, to $476 million

Last week, the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee?s Panel on Public-Private Partnerships (P3 Panel) released its final report and recommendations on how to balance the needs of the public and private sector when undertaking P3s to finance U.S. infrastructure.

The City of Milwaukee’s preliminary 2015 budget will continue a decade-long emphasis on steadily rebuilding the city?s aging core infrastructure of sewers, streets, bridges and street lighting, Mayor Tom Barrett said last week.

Adjusting to changing market realities, CH2M Hill Cos. Ltd. will cut back its 26,000-person global staff by 5 percent ? about 1,200 positions ? as part of a restructuring it will implement over the remainder of 2014 and early 2015.

A low-profile state board in New York has embarked on one of its highest-profile cases as it examines how federal clean water funds were earmarked by the Cuomo administration for construction of the new $3.9 billion Tappan Zee Bridge.